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Spin Cycle: a guide to Election 2010

By The Laundress | July 23, 2010

We are sorting the froth from the bubble for this election, with The Laundress giving us the news that counts to make sure mums can cut through the Spin Cycle to know what they really need to know before they cast a vote on August 21.

Spin Cycle guide #1: Devote yourself to the vote

First, the date. August 21, 2010. Roll up to your nearest primary school, eat a sausage sandwich, and vote. The consequences if you don't are dire - not only will you be fined $20, but you'll be letting your neighbours decide on your local Member of Parliament. Would you trust those people to organise the street Christmas party, let alone the future of the country? Thought not.

Spin Cycle guide #2: Whose your local?

You are not voting for the Prime Minister. Not directly. As much as we jumped up and down when Kevin07 was ousted before being given the chance to be Kevin11 (which is very Ben10, no?), the fact is that it's the Labor Party that elects its leader. We elect our local MP. That is all. Which does not stop us being influenced greatly by who will be in the top job.To find out which electorate your suburb is in and who your local member is click here.

Spin Cycle guide #3: Two houses, same street

We have two houses of Parliament, the Upper house (Senate) and the Lower house (House of Representatives, or HOR). The Government is formed by the political party that receives the largest number of seats in the lower house. Interestingly, the HOR gets the smallest ballot paper on election day. The one the size of a tablecloth is for the Senate, which is considered to be the house of ‘checks and balances'. It's there to ensure the Government doesn't do anything crazy, like declaring a public holiday when Australia wins a sporting event (oh wait…).

Spin Cycle guide #4: Remember the tablecloth?

The voting system needs careful thought. To vote in the HOR, you must number every box on the ballot paper (if you don't, your vote is not counted). This is usually not difficult as there are generally minimal numbers of candidates involved. To vote in the Senate, you can simply focus on the top of the sheet and place a nice big 1 next to the political party of your choice. If you do this, however, your preferences (see next point) go wherever your chosen political party chooses to put them. The Greens, for example, caused a bit of a kerfuffle this week by announcing their preferences would go with the Labor party. A vote for the Greens, then, can mean a vote for Labor. To avoid this, you must number every single box on the sheet. And you might need another sausage sandwich.

Spin Cycle guide #5: Hot button issues

Hot button issues will be front-page issues. Immigration. Health. Education. Population growth. The Environment. Tony Abbott has promised people will plant more trees. Julia Gillard is still to come through with a final destination for processing refugee visa claims. One thing is certain, there will be an awful lot of words - spoken, written, tweeted - before this election is over. Within the bluster, will be the policies. It's the policies you'll need to look for (we'll help, promise).

Spin Cycle guide #6: Kidspot Mums' key issues, Childcare

With 37.3 per cent of Kidspot Mums undecided about who'll they'll vote for, and a further 68.9 per cent of us saying they will change their vote for a party that makes child care more affordable, it's clear that Child Care should be a front page issue. And it's shaping up that way. Two weeks before the election was called, Julia Gillard announced that parents would receive childcare rebate payments fortnightly (from 1 July, 2011), to help ease pressure on living costs. One week later, the Coalition vowed it would deliver weekly payments, before June 2011.

Spin Cycle guide #7: Kidspot Mums' key issues, Health

Everyone agrees that Health needs to be a top priority for all parties in this year's election. Dr Andrew Pesce, president of the Australian Medical Association, said in a July 17 statement: “People want more than promises, they want action.” Kidspot Mums agree, with 84.4 per cent of us targeting health as one of our top priorities. Both major parties are yet to make major policy announcements in this area, though the current Government has embarked upon ambitious Health reform, attempting to wrest management of health services from State government control.

Spin Cycle guide #8. Kidspot Mums' key issues, Environment.

The leaders of the major political parties could not be more opposite. On one hand, Tony Abbott, replete in his ‘budgie smugglers', father of three, staunchly Catholic. On the other, Julia Gillard, yet to be seen in a swimsuit, atheist, in a de facto relationship, no kids. Both have a lot of smarts, though their styles are very different. On one thing they're agreed, however - the future of Australia must have a green tinge. In his Federal Election statement, Tony Abbott said that a Coalition government “will respect the environment because we only have one planet to live on… But you don't help the environment by damaging the economy.” His plan was to reduce emissions in ways that “help our farmers and establish a standing Green Army, 15,000 strong, to care for our country.” Details are yet to be announced. Julia Gillard is expected to announce Labor's climate policy today, but she has made the environment one of her top three election priorities. The delay on the Emissions Trading Scheme and the failure of the roof insulation and Green Loans for homes programs have battered Labor's credentials in this area.

Spin Cycle guide #9: There's more than two to tango

Despite what it looks like, there are more than two political parties in Australia. The Senate race is the most interesting because, as you'll see when you get the enormous ballot paper, it's here that you'll find the most smaller parties. It's here that One Nation, the Australian Democrats, and the Nuclear Disarmament Party have achieved Representation in the past. Other parties you might find here include The Non-Custodial Parents Party, The Fishing Party, and the Australian Shooters' Party. You can be a one-issue party. No problem. In the HOR, minor parties include the National Party of Australia and the Australian Greens.

Spin Cycle guide #10: Who's representing you?

According to the Australian Electoral Commission, to nominate as a candidate for either the Senate or the HOR, all you have to be is 18 years old, an Australian citizen and either enrolled or eligible to be enrolled on the Commonwealth electoral roll. All we're saying here is that it's worth actually reading the material that candidates hand out, to find out what they stand for.